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20091001

You are not ever safe in South Africa

Residents have to ‘rely on their own vigilance’ - crime experts warn:

The townships’ criminals gangs – inevitably always the richest guys with the flashiest clothes, luxury cars and bling -- are idolised by township youngsters -- to such a degree that their games often reflect this. for instance these children – a group totalling about 200 – were being taught the ‘Execution Game’ at the Durban Marina by their adult minder in the red t-shirt. When they saw the white photographer, they pointed their guns at his head and shouted: ‘executed’. Picture: Snowy Smith. In a few years’ time, these kids will also join these ‘glamorous’ criminal gangs …

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October 1 2009 -- No one is safe. Not in your home, note on the streets, not in a shopping centre or at your job or schools.

No matter how much money is spent on securing homes, malls and neighbourhoods, criminals will continue to kill and maim - “unless you take responsibility for your own safety.”

Picture: the criminals’ huge success in South Africa are being idolised in South African townshipss -- to such a degree that child’s play reflects their growing criminality: These children – a group of about 200 – were for instance, being taught the ‘Execution Game’ at the Durban Marina by their adult minder in the red t-shirt. Picture: Snowy Smith.

That was the grim message from the country's top criminologists as another three Pretoria families were ripped apart last weekend by violent criminals hellbent on wreaking destruction.

In Pretoria alone - a primarily Afrikaans city -- 582 residents were murdered, 1,205 motorists hijacked, 953 businesses robbed and 1,719 families attacked inside their homes in the period between March 2008 and March 2009.

With hijackers and house robbers committing an average of 105 offences before they are caught for the first time, criminals, according to Unisa criminologist Rudolf Zinn, are becoming more and more daring and violent.

Victims should not keep to the same routine after attacks…

"The police's poor record at crime prevention added to a conviction rate of between 7 and 11 percent for serious and violent offenders, and a general lack of vigilance among South Africans is what drives the country's crime rate…. victims keep their same routines even after they have been attacked'.

"This can be seen by the sheer number of crimes occurring every year which are constantly on the increase, despite the growing number of police officers," Zinn said.

Nearly 2.1-million serious crimes were reported to the SAPS in the 2008/2009 financial year. Of these, 18,148 were murder cases PLUS 12,600 were culpible homicides; there were 18,438 house robberies. Business robberies increased by 41.1 percent to 13,920, while house robberies increased by 27 percent. Hijackings increased by 5 percent to 14,915.

Zinn: criminals are getting away with it: "The South African Law Commission last year revealed that the conviction rate for serious and violent crimes was between 7 percent and 11 percent, which means that these criminals are repeatedly getting away with their actions," Zinn said.

"International studies show that the longer criminals get away with committing crimes the more violent they become, which is exactly what we are seeing in South Africa, with the average hijacker and house robber committing more than 100 offences before they are caught," he said.

Zinn said this was exactly where the country's policing problem lay. "Because police are not able to collect enough evidence properly to trace the offender and to get court convictions, offenders repeatedly get away with their crimes," he said.

In order for people to be safer they had to undergo an adjustment in their own attitude: People need to know that they are never safe. Once they know this, they can start taking steps to make themselves safer, and this is where vigilance becomes important, he said:

Security estate residents are lax about their security…

"In interviews I conducted with convicted hijackers they said they often aborted their attacks the moment people noticed them, while house robbers said they specifically targeted security estates because they knew residents were lax about their security, leaving their doors and windows open.

"They know that these residents will not be suspicious of them walking around the estates because they assume that they had been cleared by the estate's security guards, when in fact they had not," Zinn said.

Be vigilant:

"You can't predict where the next attack is going to be, but you can do a lot not to become a victim by being vigilant," he said. "People need to take their security seriously and listen to warnings issued by police, community policing forums and neighbourhood watches."

"What we often see with attacks such as house robberies and hijackings is that people become lax around their routines." Zinn added.

"They don't change their routes or times they go to and from home and often they keep their same routines even after they have been attacked, making themselves a target all over again," he said.

Pretoria University criminologist Dr Christiaan Bezuidenhout said it was a myth to believe one was 100 percent secure. "By putting up high fences and having armed response guards one is creating a false sense of security.

"The only way all South Africans are going to be secure is through vigilance. We have to stop our 'Harry-casual' attitude and belief that because we have street committees, community policing forums and a police service we are safe.

No visible policing makes SA very unsafe:

"Crime is occurring in South Africa because we have motivated offenders, suitable victims and a lack of visible policing. These three things which allow crime to thrive, will not exist if we are vigilant and proactive," he claimed.

Bezuidenhout said the government's recent change in attitude towards crime – they actually acknowledged that it was the worst in the world -- had to be bought into by all South Africans.

"The police cannot operate without intelligence, which is why we need to be their eyes and ears. It is a 50-50 partnership with communities needing to play their part, especially as criminals are born and created in our communities.

"There are many people who are aware of criminals and their activities, but do not become involved in the fight against crime because they are afraid, which is ridiculous. Anonymous tip-offs help to save lives," he said.

Unisa criminologist Professor Anthony Minnaar said that no matter what security measures were in place, a determined criminal would get through them.

"While we can delay and detect criminals with security systems, the ultimate answer to security and personal safety is vigilance. People need to be aware of their environment and surroundings," he said.

"Attacks often occur because of human error. If you do not lock your doors and put your alarm on at night your security measures are useless and will fail to keep you safe," he said. Minnaar said community safety had to be looked at "holistically".

Don't create a pattern. Patterns are very useful to criminals who keep your home under observation and plan the attack long before they carry out their assault. Vary the time you come home, leave for work, your routes and the time you turn your security lights on and off…

Rather have a see-through palisade fence than a wall as criminals do not like to be seen

Have both large and small dogs. Small dogs (inside your home) are far more alert and wake up the larger dogs when intruders enter

Keep bushes and shrubs cut back around your gates and walls

As with hijackings be aware of vulnerable and weak spots around your home

Lock your doors and windows at night and activate your alarm systems

Report suspicious people to police and alert neighbours to suspicious movements and people outside homes and on the street

Remove odd bits of rubbish from your property and neighbours' properties' they could be markers for criminals planning attacks

Teach your dogs to accept food only from you

If you have a burglary (or if your dog is poisoned) be extra alert and cautious. The break-ins are often criminals' way of testing your home's security system, you, your security company and the police's response times…

Have an advance security plan which everyone in the family knows. These should include a safe room to hide away in from assailants, emergency numbers, a cellphone hidden away in a safe place with emergency numbers and a medical kit

Have copies of your gardener's and domestic worker's identity documents, residential addresses and contact details of their families

Their methods

Criminal gangs observe houses - your movements are under observation often for days or weeks

They always note your movement and security patterns before striking

Criminals also obtain information from domestic workers and gardeners on your security systems, valuables and movements

Usually, criminals operate in groups of two or more and are always heavily armed, often with an assortment of lethal weapons

Criminals usually strike during the early hours of the morning when you are asleep in your bed - or when you arrive or leave home, operate quickly and are perfectly willing to use various forms of violence to cause ‘fear and intimidate victims into surrendering’, including killing a loved one. Source Url: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=vn20091001042916323C993693

The term "genocide" was coined by legal scholar Raphael Lemkin in 1943, writing:

'Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actionsaiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves.

The objectives of such a plan would be the disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of personal security, liberty, health, dignity and lives of the members of such groups... '